


Inked

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [16]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M, Piercings, Songwriting, Tattoos, Visual Kei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 15:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14897529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: In the process of preparing for the release of his first single, Byakuya gets a new tattoo and both ears pierced from Renji's two friends.





	Inked

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> I know I'd written that Nelliel was an idol earlier, but I've decided to change it so I could work her into the story. (Nelliel is one of my most favourite characters as well). Anyways, here's some more domestic ByaRen :) Enjoy!

Byakuya woke up to a sweet warmth all around him and strong arms holding him protectively.

Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was five in the morning and the sun was slowly rising into the sky. Byakuya had always been a light sleeper so this was nothing new. Rather, it was the fact that no nightmare woke him up that was fairly unusual.

He glanced at Renji only to see that he was still asleep. It was interesting. For someone so passionate and energetic when awake, Renji was a deep sleeper. If he’d moved around in the night, Byakuya didn’t see any sign of it. But it was such a peaceful sight to see Renji like this. He looked softer and much more vulnerable when asleep. A few loose strands of his hair had fallen in front of his eyes and his breathing was soft and steady. Oddly enough, he looked rather boyish when asleep.

Ever since that night after the concert, when they’d made love on the piano, Renji had started sleeping over at Byakuya’s apartment a bit more regularly, to the point that he’d kept a few of his clothes in Byakuya’s dresser. As he remembered the events from that night, Byakuya’s face flushed slightly as his heart grew warm again.

It had truly been something else. Byakuya had felt complete in a way he’d never experienced, and he’d felt no shame in giving himself to Renji so intimately. Renji had made him feel beautiful, valued, and above all, _loved._ Byakuya didn’t feel so lonely or cold anymore, not when he had such a caring, sweet lover. And to wake up in his arms, feeling a warmth he hadn’t felt in such a long time, Byakuya wanted this forever.

It would’ve been wonderful to just stay in bed like this but alas, it was that moment when Renji decided to wake up. Byakuya watched as his eyelids fluttered slightly and he stirred before his eyes slowly opened. Renji moved to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he glanced down to see Byakuya in his arms. A sleepy smile crossed his face.

“Mornin’, babe,” he said, his voice still rough with sleep. “What time is it?”

Byakuya glanced at the clock. “It’s almost five-twenty,” he said.

Renji frowned. “Fuck, that’s too early,” he mumbled. “Why’re you awake?”

“Habit, I suppose,” Byakuya said, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m sorry if I woke you up, though.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Renji reassured. “Believe me, I’m pretty much getting used to it. You know, for filming music videos and doing photoshoots and all that. Besides, we may as well get started on the day. But you can use the bathroom first. I’d like to sleep a little longer.” He rolled over and went back to sleep.

Byakuya chuckled. “Very well then,” he said, climbing out of bed.

After a shower and taking care of his usual toiletries, Byakuya changed into some fresh clothes before heading to the kitchen. He made himself some tea before heading to his recording studio to edit some of his songs, sitting down and turning on the computer.

Over the past few weeks, Byakuya had been recording numerous songs in his home and was planning to release a single two weeks from now. In addition, he would also be doing his first gig at Meguro Rokumeikan towards the end of September, something he was a little bit nervous about but also looked forward to. After that, in the middle of October, he would release another single and then, at the beginning of December, he would release his first album.

His first single would be ‘Yozora no Kawa’, along with two bonus tracks he’d made. Byakuya planned to release ‘Kanade Aragai Kou’ as the next single, along with two other traditional-sounding songs. As for his album, he’d been working with the concepts of honour and beauty, and planned to name it ‘Hakuteiken’. It seemed like a noble, beautiful name, and he found himself liking it a lot.

Recording music at home had been a little difficult, but Rukia had been there to help him, fortunately. At some point, the both of them had even recorded a song together for the fun of it, titled ‘Listen to One Story’. Rukia turned out to have one of the most melodic voices Byakuya had ever heard and he felt proud to have a song with her on it. She truly was Hisana’s little sister, he thought to himself.

There was a knock at the door and Byakuya heard Renji ask, “can I come in?”.

“You may,” Byakuya responded.

Renji opened the door and stepped into the recording studio, having gotten dressed for the day. He held a mug of tea in his hands as he approached the chair next to Byakuya and sat down. “Editing songs?” he asked, glancing at the computer screen.

Byakuya nodded slowly. “Of course,” he said. “I’m just fine-tuning ‘Yozora no Kawa’ right now. The release date is coming up pretty soon.”

“Can I hear it?” Renji asked.

At that, Byakuya shook his head. “No, you can’t, unfortunately. Even lovers don’t get the privilege of hearing my songs before the release date,” he said, though his voice was light.

Renji chuckled. “Yeah, that’s fair,” he said. “Anyways, what about your album? How’s that going?”

“It’s coming along,” Byakuya said. “The main concepts are honour and beauty, and I’ve planned on calling it ‘Hakuteiken’. What do you think of it?”

“‘White Imperial Sword’? Sounds classy,” Renji said. “I think it sounds great.”

“I’m glad. I’ve had a lot of different names written down but this one kept on sticking out to me, yet I still wasn’t too sure about it,” Byakuya admitted.

“But it suits the concepts you have in mind,” Renji told him. “It’s a pretty name, and it sounds very noble as well.” He glanced down at Byakuya’s open notebook, which had been opened to the page that planned out his first album. It appeared that Byakuya planned on having thirteen songs for this album, which included ‘Yozora no Kawa’ and ‘Kanade Aragai Kou’. As Renji read through the titles of each song, he couldn’t help but feel curious about them.

“What will the songs be about?” he asked.

Byakuya glanced at the notebook. “The songs are varying in theme, of course,” he said. “Generally, this album is not just about beauty and honour, but also about one's ideals, dreams, and values. There's also going to be some French aesthetics in this album."

"Really?" Renji asked, curiosity piqued. "Sounds pretty interesting. What are you gonna write about?"

"Well, one of them will be about love in Paris," Byakuya was saying. "Particularly, something about finding love in the city of lights. It'll be a sweeter song, since I was influenced by Hisana's love songs for it. The other one is a bit more... risqué, actually. It'll be about the Moulin Rouge. Have you heard of it?"

"I mean, I've heard of the movie," Renji said. "But that's pretty much it."

Byakuya smiled. "Well, the Moulin Rouge is a Parisian cabaret with a red windmill, hence the name. It was where courtesans used to perform, so it's got a rather raunchy image attached to it. And besides, I thought it would be fun to write a more sexual song. In fact, the lyrics are quite suggestive, even for me."

"'Even for you'? Damn, sounds like it'll be hot to listen to," Renji chuckled. "Didn't know you had it in ya."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Byakuya’s lips. “Don't be too surprised,” he said. “I was quite… spirited, when I was a child. I was very quick-tempered and brash, and very prone to getting angry a lot. It took me a long time to control my temper.”

Renji raised his eyebrows. It was almost hard to see Byakuya as volatile and quick-tempered, but then again, this was the same guy who snuck out to see Unohana Yachiru at Saitama Super Arena. So it wasn’t too hard to believe, he supposed.

His thoughts were interrupted when Byakuya began speaking. “Renji, I have a request I’d like to make,” he said.

“Yeah?” Renji asked, noticing an almost-playful glint in Byakuya’s eyes.

“I want you to come with me when I get a tattoo,” he said.

Renji was surprised. “You… You’re gonna get a tattoo?” he asked.

“And ear piercings,” Byakuya said. “They’re not going to be too big, I just want something to mark my beginnings as an artist.”

Renji grinned. “Well, you’re in luck, Byakuya,” he said. “I know just the right people for tattoos and piercings.”

“Oh?” Byakuya looked curious. “Who are they?”

“Well, he’s an old friend of mine,” Renji told him. “He and I go way back.”

He hesitated to tell Byakuya about his past as a stripper right now. Sure, Renji knew he couldn’t keep it hidden for too long, but it was a little bit too personal for him to share. While he knew that Byakuya wouldn’t judge him, there was still that lingering doubt in the back of his mind. Yes, Byakuya loved him, but Renji didn’t want to share the details of his past job right now. One day he’d tell him about it, but not immediately.

“Is he good at piercings and tattoos?” Byakuya asked.

“He’s a professional,” Renji reassured, texting Grimmjow already. “Sure, he might look a little bit intimidating, but he’s really good at his job.”

“Really? That’s good, because I’ve already planned out what tattoo I want,” Byakuya said. “When can we go?”

“How about a week before your single releases?” Renji suggested. “You’ll need time to prepare for it, after all. Both the single and the tattoo, that is.”

“I see,” Byakuya said. “Will he allow you to sit in on the tattoo session?”

“I’m sure he will,” Renji said. “Also, I’ll definitely help you with the aftercare. Healing tattoos can be pretty confusing sometimes.”

Byakuya gave him a smile. “Thank you.”

* * *

A week later, it was time for Byakuya’s tattoo and piercing session. Having been given a list of advice on preparing for the session from Renji, Byakuya had followed it meticulously, making sure to stay hydrated and moisturize his skin, particularly the area he was going to get tattooed. The night before, Byakuya also made sure to have a full night of sleep, and when he woke up, he made sure he ate well.

Now, Byakuya was dressed in a loose black sleeveless vest and jeans, and he carried a bag with his music player, a water bottle, and the illustration as a reference. Byakuya planned for a tattoo on his upper left arm. The design was going to be a katana with sakura flowers behind it and the blade gradually dissolving into sakura petals halfway. It was quite a pretty design he’d chosen, and he looked forward to getting it.

He and Renji were on the train to Shinjuku, where Renji’s friend’s tattoo and piercing parlour was located. While he did look forward to the session, Byakuya couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as well. He hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much, but Renji had told him that the upper arms didn’t hurt too much, compared to other parts of the body. Then again, Renji probably had a really high pain tolerance.

It wasn’t long before they reached Shinjuku and left the metro. Byakuya followed Renji to a building with a sign that read ‘Pantera Studio’, and he got a look at the inside of the building through the windows. The brick walls practically covered with numerous tattoo designs and the floors were black and white. Upon the ceiling was an industrial style ventilation system and towards the back was a tattoo station.

“Here we are,” Renji said, opening the door. “Pantera Studio.”

As he and Byakuya stepped inside, they saw a very gorgeous young woman at the empty tattoo station reading a magazine. She had long and wavy teal-coloured hair with two skull hair clips, and was dressed in a white halter top, jean shorts, and black and white sneakers. Tattooed on her left upper arm was a very detailed centaur wielding a spear. Across her collarbone and upper chest were blue hydrangeas and upon her right forearm were cursive words and two purple butterflies. She was even tattooed upon her shapely, graceful legs, which sported matching tattoos of skulls and blue and purple roses trailing from just below the knees to her ankles.

Byakuya couldn’t help but admire her incredibly beautiful and intricate tattoos.

The woman looked up and her eyes brightened upon seeing Renji and Byakuya. “Oh, Renji, hi! Long time no see!” she greeted him.

Renji grinned. “Yo, Nel,” he said. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going great!” the woman, now known as Nel, said. She then glanced at Byakuya. “You must be here for tattoos and piercings,” she said cheerily, bounding over to the front desk and peering at the computer screen. “Kuchiki Byakuya-san?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Byakuya said.

“Perfect!” she said. “Grimmjow’s just finishing up with a customer so when he’s done, he’ll do your piercings first and then I’ll take care of your tats. Please, have a seat.”

As Renji and Byakuya sat down in chairs against the wall, Nel came over and took a chair by the window right next to them. Renji took the opportunity to introduce the two. “Byakuya, this is Nel, or Nelliel tu Odelschwanck,” he said. “Nel, this is Kuchiki Byakuya, my friend.”

Byakuya held his hand out. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“Nice to meet you too!” Nelliel said, smiling as she took his hand, shaking it. “I didn’t know that you were friends with your label’s CEO, Renji.”

“How do you two know each other?” Byakuya asked, glancing at Renji.

“Nel is Grimmjow’s girlfriend,” Renji said. “She’s also a tattoo artist and helps run the studio while Grimmjow does the piercings.” He then turned to Nelliel. “Speaking of which, I never saw you when I brought Ichigo for his piercings. Where were you?”

“Yokohama. It was a family emergency,” Nelliel said, smiling apologetically. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No worries,” Renji said.

Before anyone could say anything more, the door towards the back opened up and a customer with newly-pierced ears stepped out, followed by a muscular man with electric-blue hair, wild blue eyes with turquoise eyeliner around it, and dressed in jeans with a black tank top. Byakuya could see that both his ears and his left eyebrow were pierced. In addition to that, his right upper arm was tattooed with a fierce black panther climbing a tree and his left upper arm had a black panther fighting against a black-winged demon. Peeking from under his shirt were even more tattoos, though much more tribal in appearance.

As soon as the man finished helping out the customer, he turned towards the waiting area. An almost-feral grin crossed his face upon seeing Renji. “Yo, Red!” he greeted. “How’s it been? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Pretty good, I guess,” Renji said. He then turned to Byakuya. “Byakuya, this is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, my friend. Grimmjow, this is Kuchiki Byakuya, my friend and the CEO of the record label I’m under.”

Grimmjow smiled at Byakuya, holding his hand out. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

Byakuya accepted it, giving it a shake. “Nice to meet you too,” he said.

“Damn, he’s pretty,” Grimmjow said, grinning. “Seriously, Renji. A cute bandmate and a pretty CEO? You’re one lucky bastard.”

Byakuya felt his face grow warm at the compliment. He had to admit, Grimmjow looked quite handsome. Like Renji, he had that bad boy attitude and appearance that was very hot, and he was equally spirited and fiery. It also helped that he had the same kind of cocky grin that Renji had.

“Oh, fuck off, ya damn catboy,” Renji retorted, punching his shoulder lightly. “Let’s just get started already.”

“I’m not a fucking catboy and you know it, ya pineapple!” Grimmjow told him, scowling slightly.

“Please, I got rid of the pineapple ponytail a long time ago,” Renji snapped, though it was more friendly.

 _Pineapple?_ Byakuya tried to fight a smile as he watched the two bicker and square up one another.

"How 'bout I show you what this catboy's made of, huh?"

"And get your ass kicked again? Sure, why not?"

"Bring it on!"

“Boys, that’s enough,” Nelliel told them, her voice stern, but also light and teasing. “We’re not beasts. We do not fight without a reason, and calling you a cat is not a reason either.”

“Aw, but babe-!” Grimmjow tried to protest, though it was just as light and teasing.

“Don’t be rude, Grimmjow,” Nelliel told him as she rolled her eyes.

“Alright, follow me.” Renji and Byakuya followed Grimmjow to the piercing room. As he shut the door, Grimmjow then pulled out two cases of earrings. “Now, take your pick.”

Byakuya perused through the cases, looking at each set. He wasn’t looking for something too grandiose or too punk; simple stud earrings would work. Fortunately, he managed to find a set of small silver pyramid-shaped earrings. Not only were they sleek and classy, but they were simple and elegant enough. He picked them up and showed them to Grimmjow.

“I’d like these,” he said.

“Perfect,” Grimmjow said. “Have a seat.”

Byakuya sat down in the chair as Grimmjow got his piercing tools ready while Renji leaned against the wall nearby. Once Grimmjow was ready, he got out the hollow piercing needle and carefully followed his usual steps. After disinfecting Byakuya’s earlobes, Grimmjow held the right earlobe in place before pushing the needle through the exact spot. He then put the earring into place before repeating the same process with the left earlobe.

“Have a look,” Grimmjow said, handing Byakuya a mirror.

Holding the mirror up, Byakuya turned his head to look at the brand new earrings adorning his earlobes. They looked quite pretty, actually. He turned to Renji.

“How do I look?” he asked.

Renji couldn’t help but blush a little bit. Byakuya’s earrings looked so good on him. They were classy and sophisticated, and honestly, Byakuya looked so hot with pierced ears.

“They’re… really good,” Renji said, trying not to look too embarrassed.

Grimmjow smiled knowingly. “He looks hot, doesn’t he?” he teased.

“Shut up,” Renji retorted.

After giving the usual healing advice to Byakuya, he then followed them out of the room, where Nelliel was waiting for them.

She smiled. “How do your ears feel?” she asked.

“Not too bad,” Byakuya said as they followed her to the tattoo station.

When they reached there, Renji sat down in a nearby chair while Byakuya sat upon the tattoo chair. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the reference image and handed it over to Nelliel.

“This is pretty,” she said as she started preparing the equipment. “You nervous, Kuchiki-san?”

“A little bit,” Byakuya admitted, taking out his music player.

Nelliel smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Upper arm tattoos aren’t as painful. Sure, everyone has a different pain tolerance but these ones aren’t too bad.” 

First, she traced a simplified version of Byakuya’s design onto tracing paper and reversed it before tracing with a stencil pen. When that was finished, Nelliel disinfected Byakuya’s upper left arm with green soap and a sterile application pad. Once she shaved the area, Nelliel applied some stencil lotion before placing the stencil on Byakuya’s arm. She then slowly peeled off the tracing paper, which left the stencil image on the skin.

As it dried, Nelliel began preparing her tools. After sterilizing the needles, she slid some clean nitrile gloves on her hands and slid a canister of black ink into her tattoo gun. Holding Byakuya’s arm with her other hand, she kept the skin flat and tight before turning on the gun.

Byakuya felt the needle piercing into his skin, going a little bit deep but not too deep. He then felt it moving slowly down the stencil line, going a few centimeters before it was pulled out. Glancing over, he saw Nelliel wiping off excess ink before she continued. The process went on for a while, with her outlining a few centimeters before pulling out the needle to get rid of excess ink, occasionally refilling the ink.

After a while, Nelliel removed the needle and Byakuya glanced down at his arm. The lines were not too thick, but very even throughout. It looked really elegant so far.

“What do you think?” Nelliel asked.

“It looks good,” Byakuya said.

Nelliel smiled. “Great. Now, we’ll just wait about fifteen minutes for the lining to dry and then I’ll move onto colouring and shading.”

As Nelliel prepared her tattoo gun for colouring and shading, Renji came up to Byakuya. “Well, how did it feel?” he asked.

“Strange,” Byakuya admitted. “It didn’t hurt too much, fortunately. But I’ll admit, the needle felt rather weird when it was moving. And you’re right, Nelliel is quite good at tattoos.”

Nelliel smiled. “Aww, thanks!” she said.

Renji smiled. “You’re doing great,” he said. “Think you might want to get another tattoo after this one?”

“I think one should be enough right now,” Byakuya laughed.

After about fifteen minutes or so, it was time for the tattoo to be shaded in. Nelliel first cleaned the area of excess ink or residue. She then kept the skin on Byakuya’s arm flat and stretched out before she started. This time, when the needle pierced Byakuya’s skin, it was moving in circles. It took a while to shade in the outline but by the time it was finished, the result was definitely worth it.

“Well, what do you think?” Nelliel asked.

The tattoo looked beautiful. Not only was the shading done perfectly, but the outline itself didn’t overwhelm the overall design.

“It’s… perfect,” Byakuya said, turning off his music player. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nelliel said, smiling.

“That’s an awesome tattoo,” Renji praised. “Seriously, it suits you!”

“Thank you, Renji,” Byakuya said.

Nelliel gently cleaned off the tattoo before she applied a thin layer of tattoo ointment and covered it with a clean gauze bandage. “Alright, I’m gonna give you the instructions for aftercare so please listen carefully to me,” she said.

“You need to keep that bandage on for at least one hour to avoid any infections,” Nelliel began. “For this tattoo, I’d recommend keeping it on for one and a half to two hours, and do not get it wet. When you remove the bandage, use warm water and an antibacterial cleanser to clean it, and don’t put any pressure on it when you dry it. For the first three nights, keep it covered when you go to sleep, but leave it unwrapped during the day. Then, in the daytime, apply some healing ointment until it starts peeling, and then you stop. Also, avoid getting it too wet and avoid exposing it to sunlight. No excessive drinking, if you have pets don’t let them touch the tattoo, don’t go swimming for one to two weeks, and above all, don’t scratch it! Yes, it’ll be itchy, and it’ll feel like there are tiny demons under your skin, but you cannot scratch it at all!”

Byakuya balked slightly. He couldn’t even scratch it? Of course, he knew it was part of the aftercare, but it was gonna be hell for sure. Even so, he nodded. “I’ll remember those instructions,” he said.

“Perfect,” Nelliel said, smiling.

After paying for the tattoo and piercings, along with a couple of bottles of tattoo ointment, Renji and Byakuya were on their way back to Byakuya’s apartment.

“So, how was the overall experience?” Renji asked.

“It was actually pretty pleasant,” Byakuya said honestly. “Your friends are also very interesting. And very good at what they do.”

“They’re professionals, like I said,” Renji told him. “You remember Nelliel’s aftercare tips, right? No swimming, no scratching, no sunlight, just treat that tattoo like it’s a major injury, got it? Well, it already is kind of an open wound, but… you get what I mean.”

“I suppose covering it up won’t be too bad.” Byakuya glanced at Renji. “But how did you manage to care for the tattoos on your forehead and neck?”

“I became a hermit for a while,” Renji joked.

Byakuya chuckled. “But what should I do when it starts itching?”

“Give it a little slap, that usually helps. Or apply some ointment.”

Byakuya had to admit, despite being twenty-seven, the childish part of him was getting a little kick out of getting a piercing and tattoo without a care as to what his family thought. His family had always been very much against the idea of Byakuya getting any form of body modifications because they felt that it was unbecoming of someone of his status. But honestly, from his experience, the people with the most body modifications have been some of the nicest people he’d met.

Renji, the rest of Black Moon, Nelliel, even Grimmjow, they were all easy-going people who didn’t judge anyone harshly. In fact, none of them cared as to whether someone was rich or not, they only treated people based on how they were treated. Not only did Byakuya feel at ease around them, he also felt truly valued. He didn’t feel ignored or condescended upon, he felt as if he was treated fairly. Needless to say, he enjoyed their company.

It wasn’t long before they reached Byakuya’s apartment. However, when they stepped off the elevator, they saw two people waiting outside the door.

“Someone’s waiting for you,” Renji said.

However, when they neared, they were both in for an ugly surprise. Waiting outside Byakuya’s apartment were none other than Kouga and Izumi.

Byakuya’s eyes widened in shock. _Oh no…_

“So you’ve finally come back, Byakuya,” Izumi said coldly.

**Author's Note:**

> So, family drama will ensue in the next instalment. Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


End file.
